SACRAMENTO – The California Assembly Judiciary Committee approved a bill to help small businesses pay for specialists to help them comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The bill, sponsored by Assembly Republican Leader Kristin Olsen, of Modesto, moved forward on a unanimous 10-0 vote. The legislation is aimed at stemming a wave (ADA) lawsuits, often over minor technical violations such as sign wording or parking space width, that have targeted small businesses throughout the Central Valley and the state.
Assembly Bill 54 would grant up to a $250 tax credit to help offset a portion of the costs of obtaining a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) inspection. Such specialists help make sure businesses are in compliance with the ADA.
Under current state law, businesses who are targeted by an ADA lawsuit can request a court stay and an early evaluation conference if their building had new construction approved by a CASp inspection, no subsequent modifications were made, and all violations were corrected within 60 days.
The Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee did amend the original language of the bill by removing a section that would have given small businesses an opportunity to cure accessibility violations within 60 days, if the construction-related accessibility standards related to the specified violation have changed within three years.
“While we were disappointed that an important reform piece was removed, I am pleased that this bill will make CASp services more attainable for a wide variety of businesses,” Olsen said in a press release. “The ultimate goal is to make buildings more accessible to the disabled community, while protecting businesses from abuse. This bill is a helpful step in the right direction.”
The bill now moves on to be heard in Assembly Revenue & Taxation in May.
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